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Frequently Asked Questions
- General Questions on the MUTCD
The following list of questions relates to General Questions on the
MUTCD:
- What is the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices
(MUTCD)?
- What is the legal status of the MUTCD?
- Does the MUTCD apply to all roads and streets in the
United States?
- Does the MUTCD apply to private roads and parking
lots, such as at shopping malls?
- My State has its own State MUTCD. Is that allowed,
and if so how does a State MUTCD relate to the Federal MUTCD?
- What does substantial conformance mean in regard to
State Supplements and State MUTCDs?
- From the perspective of a local agency, how do the
State Supplements or State MUTCDs apply to the local roads? Are the
local agencies bound to the State standards, which in turn are bound
to the Federal standards?
- The FHWA publishes the MUTCD, but who decides which
traffic control devices are selected and installed?
- How often do MUTCD standards change, and how are the
changes made?
- What is the National Committee on Uniform Traffic
Control Devices (NCUTCD), and what is its role?
- What Federal Register contains all the compliance
dates for new standards? Is there a website for the Federal Registers
and compliance dates?
- How strict are compliance dates? What is the penalty
for not meeting a compliance date?
- Why are there compliance dates for some Guidance
("should") conditions?
- What is the difference between "effective"
vs. "adoption" dates for the MUTCD?
- On existing streets and highways, how do States and
localities retrofit to meet standards?
- How can I get a copy of the MUTCD?
- The larger MUTCD parts or chapters won't print, or
print badly. What's wrong?
- Can State highway agencies who provide copies of
the MUTCD to each of their local and county highway departments charge
for copies of the Manual? This charge is not for profit, but to defray
the printing costs.
- How can I get high-quality copies of images of signs
and figures in the MUTCD? Using the "copy and paste" functions
in the MUTCD website's PDF documents doesn't produce images that are
high enough resolution for my needs?
- Is the text of the MUTCD available in Microsoft Word
format?
- Are there PowerPoint slides showing the side-by-side
discussion of the 1988 MUTCD, the 2000 MUTCD, and the 2003 MUTCD?
- Are State and local agencies required to use metric
units?
- Are the figures, tables, and illustrations in the
MUTCD standards, guidance, options, or do they have no particular
status?
- I am a manufacturer of traffic control devices that
are fully compliant with the MUTCD. Can I advertise my products as
"FHWA Approved" or "MUTCD Approved"?
- Why doesn't the MUTCD contain standards for the design
and spacing of speed humps and bumps?
- Where can I obtain more information about the historical
development of traffic control devices and the MUTCD, and why certain
colors, shapes, designs, dimensions, etc. were chosen?
General Questions on the MUTCD
- Q: What is the Manual on Uniform Traffic
Control Devices (MUTCD)?
A: The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) publishes
the MUTCD, which contains all national design, application, and placement,
standards, guidance, options, and support provisions for traffic control
devices. The purpose of the MUTCD is to provide uniformity of these
devices, which include signs, signals, and pavement markings, to promote
highway safety and efficiency on the Nation's streets and highways.
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- Q: What is the legal status of
the MUTCD?
A: The MUTCD is adopted by reference in accordance
with Title 23, United States Code, Section 109(d) and Title 23, Code
of Federal Regulations, Part 655.603, and is approved as the national
standard for designing, applying, and planning traffic control devices.
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- Q: Does the MUTCD apply to all
roads and streets in the United States?
A: As provided in Title 23 of the Code of Federal
Regulations, Part 655.603 states that the MUTCD is the national standard
for all traffic control devices installed on any street, highway,
or bicycle trail open to public travel.
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- Q: Does the MUTCD apply to private
roads and parking lots, such as at shopping malls?
A: Yes. The meaning of the phrase "open to public travel" as it applies to applicability of the MUTCD is defined in the Code of Federal Regulations (23 CFR 655.603(a) as including "toll roads and roads within shopping centers, parking lot areas, airports, sports arenas, and other similar business and/or recreation facilities that are privately owned but where the public is allowed to travel without access restrictions." This definition was added to the CFR in 2006. Additionally, in Section 1A.07 of the MUTCD, States are encouraged to adopt Section 15-116 of the Uniform Vehicle Code (UVC), which states that "No person shall install or maintain in any area of private property used by the public, a sign, signal, pavement marking or other device intended to regulate, warn, or guide traffic unless it conforms with the State manual and specifications adopted under Section 15-104 of the UVC." (Section 15-104 is the UVC provision under which a State makes the MUTCD the legal requirement for traffic control devices in that State.) Just under 20 States so far have enacted laws based on UVC 15-116. Local governments
also can make compliance with the MUTCD a specific requirement of
their building code ordinances or can include a clause in their detailed
building or occupancy permits for shopping malls, private developments,
etc. to require all traffic control devices installed in the private
development to conform to the MUTCD. Compliance with the MUTCD on private roads and parking lots is always a good idea because it will result in improved driver understanding
and compliance.
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- Q: My State has its own State
MUTCD. Is that allowed, and if so how does a State MUTCD relate to
the Federal MUTCD?
A: Yes, State MUTCDs are allowed. Title 23 of the
Code of Federal Regulations requires all States to do one of three
things within two years after a new national MUTCD edition is issued
or any national MUTCD amendments are made: 1) adopt the new or revised
national MUTCD as the standard for traffic control devices in the
State; 2) adopt the national MUTCD with a State Supplement that is
in substantial conformance with the new or revised national MUTCD;
or 3) adopt a State MUTCD that is in substantial conformance with
the new or revised national MUTCD.
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- Q: What does substantial conformance
mean in regard to State Supplements and State MUTCDs?
A: In 2006 a specific definition of substantial conformance was added to the Code of Federal Regulations. 23 CFR 655.603(b) states that "substantial conformance means that the State MUTCD or supplement shall conform as a minimum to the standard statements included in the National MUTCD" and that "the guidance statements contained in the National MUTCD shall also be in the State Manual or supplement unless the reason for not including it is satisfactorily explained based on engineering judgment, specific conflicting State law, or a documented engineering study." This section of the CFR also allows FHWA to grant exceptions in cases where a State MUTCD or supplement cannot conform to standard statements in the National MUTCD because of the requirements of a specific State law that was in effect prior to the January 16, 2007 effective date of this provision, if FHWA determines the non-conformance does not create a safety concern. Also,
legal precedents have determined that State Supplements and State
MUTCDs can be more prescriptive than the national MUTCD. This means
that a State can make a national MUTCD "should" condition
a "shall" condition in that State, allow in that State only
one of several national MUTCD optional designs for a particular device,
or by prohibit the use in that State of a particular optional device.
However, State Supplements and State MUTCDs cannot omit or change
a national MUTCD "shall" to a "should" or change
a "should" to a "may". The FHWA reviews each State
Supplement and State MUTCD and makes determinations as to substantial
conformance.
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- Q: From the perspective of a
local agency, how do the State Supplements or State MUTCDs apply to
the local roads? Are the local agencies bound to the State standards,
which in turn are bound to the Federal standards?
A: The State law will govern in most circumstances.
Each State enacts its own laws regarding compliance with standards
for traffic control devices in that State. If the State law has adopted
a State Supplement or a State MUTCD that FHWA has found to be in substantial
conformance with the national MUTCD, then those State requirements
are what the local road agencies (as well as the State DOT) must abide
by. The exception is when traffic control devices are installed on
a federal aid project, in which case the Code of Federal Regulations
(23 CFR 655.603(d)(2)) specifically requires those devices to comply
with the national MUTCD before the road can be opened or reopened
to the public for unrestricted use.
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- Q: The FHWA publishes the MUTCD,
but who decides which traffic control devices are selected and installed?
A: The individual State and local highway agencies
(not the FHWA) select, install, operate, and maintain all traffic
control devices on all roadways (including the Interstate and the
U.S. numbered systems) nationwide.
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- Q: How often do MUTCD standards
change, and how are the changes made?
A: The MUTCD is a dynamic document because standards
change to address travel patterns and road conditions, and to incorporate
technology and materials advancements. FHWA has stated its intention
to issue a new edition of the MUTCD approximately every 5 years, and
to keep revisions to an absolute minimum between new editions. The
FHWA previously relied on periodic updates, usually every 2 to 3 years,
to revise existing manuals. The 1988 edition was updated with many
revised pages seven separate times over a period of 12 years, until
a new edition was produced in 2000. The practice of keeping field
personnel abreast of amendments to the MUTCD by mailing updates proved
unsatisfactory because traffic planners and engineers had difficulty
identifying whether or not they were applying the most recent "updated"
version. This is one reason why the official version of the manual
is now published by FHWA on the Internet only. All MUTCD revisions
and new editions must be adopted via the Federal Register rulemaking
process, which involves publishing a Notice of Proposed Amendments
(NPA) soliciting public comments, analysis of all comments, and publication
of a Final Rule.
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- Q: What is the National Committee
on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (NCUTCD), and what is its role?
A: Starting in the 1920s, members of the Joint Committee
(JC) on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, which included representatives
of the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) and
the National Conference on Street and Highway Safety (NCSHS), were
responsible for writing and formatting the MUTCD. In 1954, the Joint
Committee became the National Joint Committee (NJC) on Uniform Traffic
Control Devices. In 1971, the FHWA assumed control of the MUTCD. As
a result, the role of the NJC shifted to an advisory capacity. The
NJC then changed its name to the National Advisory Committee (NAC)
on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. In 1979, the NAC disbanded after
FHWA withdrew its sponsorship of the NAC in order to comply with President
Carter's policy to limit the number of Federal advisory committees.
Later that same year, former NAC members reorganized themselves into
an independent committee called the National Committee on Uniform
Traffic Control Devices (NCUTCD). The NCUTCD is a private organization
that has no official association with the Federal government. Its
current membership is more than 250 traffic control device experts,
representing a wide variety of organizations, who have a major interest
in and experience with traffic control device issues. The majority
of the NCUTCD members are employees of State and local agencies and
are involved in the daily operation of highways or streets. NCUTCD
members are volunteers receiving no compensation for their contributions.
Committee members meet twice a year to discuss the Manual and develop
consensus comments and recommendations, which are then submitted to
the FHWA for consideration. The NCUTCD is also one of many organizations
and individuals that reviews FHWA's proposals for MUTCD changes and
submits comments to the rulemaking docket. For more information on
the NCUTCD, see their web site at www.ncutcd.org.
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- Q: What Federal Register contains
all the compliance dates for new standards? Is there a website for
the Federal Registers and compliance dates?
A: The Federal Register dated November 20, 2003
contains the final rule that adopted the new 2003 MUTCD standards.
This Federal Register final rule is
located on the MUTCD website. The compliance dates for changes effective
with the 2003 edition are given in that Federal Register final rule
in the discussions of individual changes. A list of all currently
relevant compliance dates (including those established by prior final
rules) is contained within the 2003 MUTCD itself, in the Introduction
on pages I-3 to I-6. A list of compliance dates can also be accessed
directly on the MUTCD website.
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- Q: How strict are compliance
dates? What is the penalty for not meeting a compliance date?
A: Compliance dates are established for significant
new mandatory provisions in the MUTCD or, in some cases, Guidance
conditions. One of the penalties for non-compliance on Federal-aid
projects is that funds may be withdrawn. Now that most States no longer
have sovereign immunity, tort liability in lawsuits is another possible
penalty for non-compliance, especially in situations where a crash
has occurred that might be attributed to inadequate, inappropriate,
or noncompliant traffic control devices.
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- Q: Why are there compliance
dates for some Guidance ("should") conditions?
A: Court interpretations in some States have given
"should" items more weight than would otherwise be indicated
in the MUTCD's definition of Guidance. Such courts have ruled that
the public agency must treat "should" items as though they
were "shall" conditions except in very unusual cases where
they have a very strong and documented reason for not doing a "should"
item. Some States have made this a State policy as well. When an MUTCD
change is made involving a Guidance condition that could have significant
economic impacts in States or other jurisdictions where this judicial
climate exists, FHWA has often included extended compliance dates,
to reduce the burden.
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- Q: What is the difference between
"effective" vs. "adoption" dates for the MUTCD?
A: The "effective date" applies to the
Federal Register final rule. It is a 30-day period after which the
changes officially become a part of the National MUTCD. The "adoption
date" applies to Title 23, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR),
Part 655.603, which provides States 2 years from the effective date
to adopt the changes in the National MUTCD. For example, the final
rule for the 2003 MUTCD was published in the November 20, 2003 Federal
Register. The effective date of the 2003 MUTCD was December 22, 2003.
A compliance date stated as "5 years from the effective date
of the Final Rule for the 2003 MUTCD" would be December 22, 2008.
The States' MUTCD adoption date must be no later than December 22,
2005.
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- Q: On existing streets and
highways, how do States and localities retrofit to meet standards?
A: Each State and local jurisdiction should have
a plan for systematic upgrading of substandard traffic control devices
and installation of new required devices. The plan should include
dedicated time to properly assess traffic control operations and needs,
budgeting of funds required for implementing MUTCD changes and, to
the extent possible, accomplishing the changes either through new
project installations or through routine maintenance and replacement
schedules, taking established compliance dates into account.
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- Q: How can I get a copy of
the MUTCD?
A: You can print your own copy directly from this
web site. Downloading and printing
instructions have been added to the MUTCD web site. Please read
the instructions provided and if you are still experiencing difficulties
after making the suggested adjustments, please submit your problem
to Operations Feedback and you will receive a reply. Alternatively, you
can purchase a bound copy, a 3-ring notebook loose-leaf version, or
a CD-ROM version through any of the three national associations listed
below:
American Association of State
Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO)
Institute
of Transportation Engineers (ITE)
American
Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA)
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- Q: The larger MUTCD parts or
chapters won't print, or print badly. What's wrong?
A: Certain parts and chapters of the MUTCD have
very large file sizes due to the large page count, number of illustrations,
or both (for example, Chapter 6H has 98 pages with 47 illustrations).
These large files can present problems when printing, depending on
the printer used. This is often due to the amount of memory within
the printer itself, which is often minimal. If the printer will not
print the file, or prints it with errors, sending the file to the
printer in smaller sections (10 to 20 pages at a time) often solves
the problem.
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- Q: Can State highway agencies
who provide copies of the MUTCD to each of their local and county
highway departments charge for copies of the Manual? This charge is
not for profit, but to defray the printing costs.
A: Yes. The State highway agencies have the option
of printing copies of the MUTCD for local distribution, and they may
charge for this. They may also buy copies of the MUTCD from one of
the three national associations, taking advantage of volume discounts,
and pass these savings on to the local government agencies.
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- Q: How can I get high-quality
copies of images of signs and figures in the MUTCD? Using the "copy
and paste" functions in the MUTCD website's PDF documents doesn't
produce images that are high enough resolution for my needs.
A: A private website (www.trafficsign.us)
maintained by Mr. Richard Moeur of the Arizona Department of Transportation
is a convenient source of high quality images of MUTCD signs. Also,
FHWA's MUTCD Team can provide, on request, copies of any MUTCD figure
in high-resolution (300 dpi) JPG format or in Adobe Illustrator format.
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- Q: Is the text of the MUTCD
available in Microsoft Word format?
A: Yes, this is available on request from the MUTCD
Team.
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- Q: Are there PowerPoint slides
showing the side-by-side discussion of the 1988 MUTCD, the 2000 MUTCD,
and the 2003 MUTCD?
A: For those who are interested, there are PowerPoint
slides on the MUTCD website that show the 1988 MUTCD text comparison
with the 2000 MUTCD text. For the 2003 edition, there are PowerPoint
slides that provide details and examples for the significant changes
from the 2000 edition. These slideshows are on the MUTCD website under
"Training", which is listed in "Services" in the
navigation bar along the left side of the page.
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- Q: Are State and local agencies
required to use metric units?
A: No. States and local agencies are not required
to use metric units. The MUTCD contains both English and metric units
so that those who choose to use metric measurements will have them
available.
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- Q: Are the figures, tables,
and illustrations in the MUTCD standards, guidance, options, or do
they have no particular status?
A: There is no single answer to this. As stated
at the bottom of page I-1 in the Introduction of the MUTCD: "Figures,
tables, and illustrations supplement the text and might constitute
a Standard, Guidance, Option, or Support. The user needs to refer
to the appropriate text to classify the nature of the figure, table,
or illustration." For example, the text may state that a sign
shall be located as shown in Figure X-XX. The portion of that figure
that is referred to in the text as being a "shall" condition
would thus be a Standard, even though other portions of the figure
may illustrate other things that are not Standards.
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- Q: I am a manufacturer of traffic
control devices that are fully compliant with the MUTCD. Can I advertise
my products as "FHWA Approved" or "MUTCD Approved"?
A: The FHWA does not approve or endorse individual
devices or products as being MUTCD compliant. It is not appropriate
to include the terms "FHWA Approved" or "MUTCD Approved"
in product literature or advertisements. State and local highway agencies
are responsible for assuring that devices they use on public roads
under their jurisdiction are compliant with the MUTCD. Note that highway
agencies, before using a product, usually have other determinations
they must make, such as whether the product meets the agency's product
qualification criteria, has been tested for quality, etc. The FHWA
is not involved in these determinations. For some products, State
and local highway agencies need to determine whether the product has
been found to be crashworthy in accordance with NCHRP Report 350.
The FHWA Office of Safety is responsible for reviewing and accepting
crashworthiness tests of devices and appurtenances (such as supports)
that are placed within the right of way. That is a completely separate
issue from MUTCD compliance. For information on NCHRP 350 certification,
please refer to the Office of Safety's Web site at http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/roadway_dept/policy_guide/road_hardware/index.cfm.
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- Q: Why doesn’t the MUTCD
contain standards for the design and spacing of speed humps and bumps?
A: Speed bumps and humps are considered "physical
features" of a roadway rather than traffic control devices (TCDs),
so the MUTCD does not address the height, width, length, or spacing
of the actual humps and bumps. The pavement markings and signs used
to warn road users of the physical features of the road are TCDs and
are therefore covered by the MUTCD. The Institute of Transportation
Engineers (www.ite.org)
publishes technical guidance on criteria, dimensions, spacing, etc.
of speed humps that many cities and counties use in developing their
own policies for these features.
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- Q: Where can I obtain more
information about the historical development of traffic control devices
and the MUTCD, and why certain colors, shapes, designs, dimensions,
etc. were chosen?
A: One of the best references on questions about
the history of traffic control devices is a 1971 publication entitled
"Traffic Devices---Historical Aspects Thereof." This book
is available from the Institute of Transportation Engineers (www.ite.org).
Also, Dr. H. Gene Hawkins of Texas A&M University has compiled
a great deal of historical information on the MUTCD and traffic control
devices and he provides this information online at http://tcd.tamu.edu/documents/MUTCD_History.htm.
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